NEWS BRIEFS:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The University of New Orleans’ hospitality program has opened its table to students at Delgado Community College.

An agreement signed by the two schools will let students in Delgado’s two-year program transfer up to 51 semester hours for degree credit in UNO’s 120-hour, four-year program.

This is the second such pact between the two institutions. A 2007 agreement smoothed the way for Delgado students seeking bachelor’s degrees in business administration at UNO.

Delgado spokeswoman Molly Jahncke says the agreements are set up program-by-program.

At UNO, the transferring students will enter the Lester E. Kabacoff School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration.

Va. Colleges, Microsoft Team To Offer Free Technology Training

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Microsoft and Virginia’s community colleges are teaming up to provide free technology training to displaced workers.

The Microsoft Elevate America Program will work with the community colleges to distribute 11,250 vouchers for technology training and certification. The program also provides other free resources on its website, including basic skills training and help finding internships and jobs.

Virginia is the second state to participate in the initiative, which Microsoft announced in February. Washington was the first.

Loan Allows Miss. College To Focus on Shipyard Trades

ELLISVILLE, Miss. (AP) — Jones County Junior College has a $1.1 million loan to build a training center in Green County, near Leakesville, to train people for shipyard careers.

The Green County Training Center will feature a welding lab, pipefitting lab, computer lab, covered work area, five classrooms and offices.

The no-interest loan comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business Service.

Jim Walley, the college’s vice president of external affairs, says coastal shipbuilders are anxious to find workers who know metal trades, and the college has a waiting list of nearly 60 people who want to learn.

Grant To Help Tribal Colleges Train Teachers, Administrators

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Education programs in seven states, including Nebraska, have been selected to receive nearly $3.8 to train and recruit American Indian teachers and school administrators.

Nebraska Indian Community College, Macy, will receive nearly $127,000 in grant money for the effort. Education programs in Arizona, Minnesota, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon and South Dakota also are among the award recipients.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the grants will help find, train and retain the best teachers and administrators within American Indian communities.

The grant is part of the Office of Indian Education’s Professional Development program.

KC College Gets $3M in State Tax Credits for New Health Building

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City community college is getting $3 million in state tax credits to help complete a new health education building.

The Missouri Development Finance Board approved the incentives after deciding to suspend its policy against awarding tax credits for health or public educational facilities.

Board members said the $27 million project at Penn Valley Community College could help spur the economy and provide more graduates for high-demand health-care fields such as nursing.

The incentives had been put on hold last month because of the conflict with the board’s policy. The finance board is to consider revisions to the policy later this year.

NY Student Acquitted In Stabbing at Monroe CC

BRIGHTON, N.Y. (AP) — A community college student has been acquitted in the stabbing of another student in a study lounge on their suburban Rochester campus.

Ryan Crosbourne was found not guilty of assault in a fight involving multiple people last November at Monroe Community College. The 20-year-old victim was wounded in the neck and needed surgery.

Prosecutors presented evidence that Crosbourne had a knife and the victim’s blood was found on his clothes. Monroe County Assistant District Attorney David Dys called the evidence “very compelling.”

But jurors acquitted Crosbourne after four hours of deliberations.

Nev. Regents OK Budget Cuts, Tuition Increases At State Colleges

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — The Nevada Board of Regents have voted unanimously to approve tuition increases at all Nevada’s state university and college campuses, along with 4.6 percent pay cuts through mandatory furloughs for staff, administrators and non-tenured faculty.

The plan includes a 5 percent tuition increase for all undergraduate campuses in 2010 and another in 2011. Student health fees also will go up.

Graduate student tuition will increase 20 percent over the next two years. The rise excludes professional schools for dentistry and medicine.

Regents voted to temporary suspend through 2011 annual step increases for academic faculty at community colleges because the Legislature chose not to fund them. That will save an estimated $5.2 million over two years

Budget Woes Prompt Layoffs, Furloughs at Okla. College

EL RENO, Okla. (AP) — Budget problems have led to the layoffs of 12 employees and furloughs of other workers at Redlands Community College.

Eight part-time employees and four full-time employees will be let go, Joel Drury, vice president of student services and institutional advancement, said.

“There was no mad firing of employees,” Drury said. “We had to lay off positions. I feel bad about the people we had to turn away and the positions we had to eliminate.”

Some employees also were notified last month about the college’s furlough plan for the 2009-10 fiscal year. About 65 percent of employees will be required to take up to eight unpaid days off work.

Employee salaries funded partially or solely through state funds will be affected by the furlough, President Larry Devane said. Employee salaries that are funded only through contracts or grants will not be affected.

Drury says “employees across the board” received a pay raise last summer for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

But no employee will receive a wage increase during the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Drury said the layoffs and furloughs were necessary to cover increasing operating expenses without raising tuition.

Conn. Professor Agrees To Pay $2,500 State Ethics Fine

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A professor at a Connecticut community college has agreed to pay a $2,500 state ethics fine for soliciting her students to work for her outside employer during class time.

Nancy LaGuardia of West Hartford is a professor in the business and technology department at Capital Community College in Hartford. She also worked with Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc., a firm that designs, underwrites and markets legal expense plans.

Connecticut law prohibits state employees from accepting other employment that would impair their independence of judgment regarding their official state duties.

LaGuardia said she’s ended her relationship with the company.

Also, she says she did not attempt to gain financially from the students’ work and thought that the work experience would be valuable for them.

East Miss. CC Expands Tuition Guarantee Program

SCOOBA, Miss. (AP) — East Mississippi Community College has extended its tuition guarantee program to students living in Noxubee County.

The program covers the cost of tuition for eligible students to attend the DeKalb-based two-year school for up to four semesters.

Students must be from the college’s six-county district and be a graduate of an accredited high school in the district.

Students must take at least 12 semester hours and maintain a 2.0 GPA.

Committee Approves Cuts For 3 Colleges In Delaware

DOVER, Del. (AP) — A legislative committee has approved a 2.5 percent funding reduction at the state’s three universities but federal stimulus funding could make it possible to avoid pay cuts.

The Joint Finance Committee cut $1.43 million from Delaware Technical and Community College’s budget. At the same meeting, the committee cut $2.1 million from the University of Delaware and $627,000 from Delaware State University.

But the University of Delaware is receiving $8.9 million in stimulus funding and Delaware Tech will get $4.6 million. DSU has $2.5 million coming.

SC Expands Entry Level Job Training Program

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — More South Carolina workers can go through government-funded retraining programs to get basic skills needed for entry-level jobs.

The state said it is putting $4 million into the technical college system’s Quick Jobs program. The effort is supported through the federal Workforce Investment Act and the $787 billion federal stimulus law.